Pope Leo XIV to the Assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies

“In our world wounded by war, we are to bring true
and lasting peace to all peoples”.
Pope Leo XIV

“Our world, wounded by war, violence and injustice, needs to hear the Gospel message of God’s love and experience the reconciling power of Christ’s grace.” In his address to the members of the Pontifical Mission Societies, Leo XIV referred to their service as “indispensable to the Church’s mission of evangelisation, as I can personally attest from my own pastoral experience in my years of ministry in Peru.” 

In his speech, which he read in English, the Pope extended the missionary paradigm to the entire ecclesial community: “The Church herself, in all her members, is increasingly called to be a missionary Church that opens her arms to the world, proclaims the Word and becomes a leaven of harmony for humanity”, he said echoing a phrase from his homily at the Mass marking the beginning of his Pontificate.

“We are to bring to all peoples, indeed to all creatures, the Gospel promise of true and lasting peace, which is possible because, in the words of Pope Francis, “the Lord has overcome the world and its constant conflict ‘by making peace through the blood of his cross.” Hence the importance “of fostering a spirit of missionary discipleship in all the baptized and a sense of the urgency of bringing Christ to all people”, the tribute of the Pontiff, who thanked the members of Pontifical Mission Societies for their “efforts each year in promoting World Mission Sunday on the second-to-last Sunday of October, which is of immense help to me in my solicitude for the Churches in areas which are under the care of the Dicastery for Evangelization.”

“The Pontifical Mission Societies are effectively the “primary means” of awakening missionary responsibility among all the baptized and supporting ecclesial communities in areas where the Church is young”, Pope Prevost remarked: “We see this in the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, which provides aid for pastoral and catechetical programmes, the building of new churches, healthcare, and educational needs in mission territories”, the list drawn up by Leo XIV: “The Society of the Holy Childhood, too, provides support for Christian formation programmes for children, in addition to caring for their basic needs and protection.” 

Likewise, “the Society of Saint Peter the Apostle helps to cultivate missionary vocations, priestly and religious, while the Missionary Union is committed to forming priests, religious men and women, and all the people of God for the Church’s missionary activity.” For the Pope, “the promotion of apostolic zeal among the People of God remains an essential aspect of the Church’s renewal as envisioned by the Second Vatican Council, and is all the more urgent in our own day”, even today, “as in the days after Pentecost, the Church, led by the Holy Spirit, pursues her journey through history with trust, joy and courage as she proclaims the name of Jesus and the salvation born of faith in the saving truth of the Gospel.” 

The Pontifical Mission Societies “are an important part of this great effort”, noted the Pontiff, asking National Directors to “give priority to visiting dioceses, parishes and communities, and in this way to help the faithful to recognize the fundamental importance of the missions and supporting our brothers and sisters in those areas of our world where the Church is young and growing.”

“You are called to cultivate and further promote within your members the vision of the Church as the communion of believers, enlivened by the Holy Spirit, who enables us to enter into the perfect communion and harmony of the blessed Trinity” is Leo XIV’s counsel to the Pontifical Mission Societies to be pursued by means of two key concepts – communion and universality – seen as distinctive elements of their charism. “Indeed, it is in the Trinity that all things find their unity”, the Pope explained: “This dimension of our Christian life and mission is close to my heart, and is reflected in the words of Saint Augustine that I chose for my episcopal service and now for my papal ministry: In Illo uno unum.  Christ is our Saviour and in him we are one, a family of God, beyond the rich variety of our languages, cultures and experiences.” 

“The appreciation of our communion as members of the Body of Christ naturally opens us to the universal dimension of the Church’s mission of evangelization, and inspires us to transcend the confines of our individual parishes, dioceses and nations, in order to share with every nation and people the surpassing richness of the knowledge of Jesus Christ”, His Holiness remarekd: “A renewed focus on the Church’s unity and universality corresponds precisely to the authentic charism of the Pontifical Mission Societies. As such, it should inspire the process of renewal of the statutes that you have initiated. In this regard, I express my trust that this process will confirm the members of the Societies worldwide in their vocation to be a leaven of missionary zeal within the People of God.”

M. Michela Nicolais – SIR